"See here, Dick," Mulligan began. "I wouldn't come telling anybody in this town I'm ashamed of myself but you--I am. That thing last night was my fault. If I'd ever given the boys round town a hint that they weren't to sell booze to soldiers, they'd never done it, uniform or no uniform; but I never batted an eye at 'em. I've known all along they got stuff whenever they wanted it. I never tipped the police not to see things, but I never tipped 'em to see 'em, and that's what they was waitin' for. If it hadn't been for that Katcham woman, I'd 'a' done it. I'm that mean I couldn't stand it to see her get her way. Now, she's gettin' up a mass meetin' for Christmas--think of that, a mass meetin' on Christmas. Well, I'm goin' to beat her to it. "I control ten saloons in this town--all except the pikers--I'm closing every blamed one of them to-day--canceled the leases. I'll turn out every doggone man that don't shut down. And I'm warnin' the little fellows that they've got to follow suit. They're howling, but let 'em. I have told them I'd treat them square, pay them for six months. They know me. Let them sue if they want to. They know that I can prove that they've been selling to the boys. There's not a jury in the State that would give them damages. The bar at Beefsteak Jim's is closed now. I'm going to make this town clean, so clean that the boys can play dominoes without being laughed at. "And I've seen the Chief. I've told him if his men so much as wink at a glass of beer sold to a soldier, I'll fire him. I've told him he's to run out any shady woman that shows her bleached head in this burg, and put the camp onto any boy that tries to sneak into any mischief. I'm goin' to make this town clean, Dick, so clean all these doggone camp towns around the country that are rolling up their eyes at Sabinsport's wickedness and calling attention to how good they are and rejoicing that we've got it in the neck, will sing another song. I'll show them. And what tickles me most is getting ahead of the Katcham woman. She's not going to spoil our Christmas by her mass meetin'. When the town gets up to-morrow morning, they will find that things are shut down. I have seen to it that it gets out. Everybody will know without waiting for the _Argus_, and you ought to see what's going in the _Argus_ to-morrow night. I'm letting it be known that the landlords in this town made a voluntary agreement--note that, Reverend, voluntary agreement, for the good of the army and the good of Sabinsport, not to sell another glass of beer as long as this war lasts. Don't that sound noble? Won't that shut up those neighborhoods in the State that are taking pains to say how depraved this burg is?